There is a digital multi-functional peripheral (MFP) provided with an image forming apparatus which forms a latent image on a photoconductive drum with an exposure section consisting of a plurality of light-emitting elements such as LEDs or organic ELs arranged in a line, and carries out printing on a medium such as paper. As to such an image forming apparatus, in a case where the number of printings based on the same printing data is more than one, the light-emission frequency of some light-emitting elements within the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a line is high, which leads to a problem that the life of part of the light-emitting elements becomes shorter.